Vehicle door latch



1964 B. SANDOR s-rm. 3, 3,551

VEHICLE DOOR LATCH Filed Sept. 18, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENTOR. A

B. SANDOR ETAL VEHICLE DOOR LATCH Oct 20, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 18. 1962 7/4 M59! .lZrlldfl/l lei INVENTOR. flfi a Sanczfr BY famanafiazvqq WW ORNEY United States Patent 3,153,551 VEIHQLE DUGR LATCH Bela Sandor and Edmund F. Sarosy, Benoit, Mich, as-

signors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 18, 1962, Ser. No. 224,563 Claims. (Cl. 292280) This invention relates to a vehicle door latch, and more particularly to a vehicle door latch wherein the intermittent link is pivotally mounted on an actuating member that is unitary with the detent.

One feature of the invention is that it provides an improved vehicle door latch. Another feature of the invention is that it provides a vehicle door latch having an intermittent link which is carried by an actuating member unitary with the detent, and a further feature of the invention is that it provides a door latch having a novel geometric arrangement of the parts resulting in simplifield and improved operation. Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and from the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of an automobile having the improved door latch mounted therein;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section through the front door showing the arrangement of the bolt and detent;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view showing the door latch and taken along line 33 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical section taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a horizontal section taken along the line 55 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a detail section taken along the line 6-6 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 7 is a detail section taken along the line 7-7 of FIGURE 3.

Many contemporary automobiles utilize door latches which may be locked by uncoupling an intermittent link from the detent which holds the latch bolt against movement in a door opening direction. In the past, the intermittent link usually has been pivotally mounted on an operating lever which is arranged to be engaged by the outside door handle push button. In the door latch of this invention, the intermittent link is pivotally mounted on an actuating member which is unitary with the detent and the geometric arrangement and relationship of the intermittent link and the pick-up portion of the operating lever results in simplified and improved operation of the door latch.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, in FIGURE 1 an automobile, designated generally as It has a front door 12 hingedly mounted along its front edge on the automobile body in conventional manner (not shown). A door latch, designated generally in'FIG- URE l as 14, is mounted inside the door 12 and the bolt of the door latch engages a body-mounted striker when.

the door is closed in the manner shown in Priestman Patent 2,852,296 which. issued on September 16, 1958. On the outer panel of the door 12, a gripping handle 16 is rigidly mounted andan outside operating push button 18 is slidably carried in the handle 15 and adapted upon depression to move an operating member in the door latch. On the inner panel of the door is mounted a remote turn handle 29 which is connected to the vdoor latch by a remote operating rod 22., The latch can be locked from outside the automobile by a key cylinder locking device 24, and the door may be locked from the inside which is connected to the latch by a locking rod 28. The

rear door 30 of the automobile may carry a simil a r'iatch and similar inside and outside unlatching means as well as inside locking means.

The front door latch, which is illustrated in FIG- URES 2-7, includes a frame having a body portion 32 which is mounted on the jarnb face of the front door 12 by screws 34. The frame 32 includes a right angular flange portion 36 which lies generally parallel to the inner panel of the door.

A toothed gear-type bolt 46 is rotatably mounted on the frame plate 32 by means of a bolt shaft 42 which is journaled between the frame 32 and the outer wall of a bolt housing 44 which projects through an opening in the jamb face of the door. The bolt is held against rotating in a door opening direction by means of a detent 46 having a foot 48 which is urged by a spring 50 (FIGURES 5 and 7) into engagement with a tooth of the bolt. The detent is rigidly mounted on a shaft 52 which is rotatably journaled in the frame 32 and bolt housing 44 and an actuating lever 54 is rigidly mounted with the detent on the shaft 52 for swinging movement as a unit with the detent. As shown in FIGURES 5 and 7, the detent 46 is in the bolt housing so that it makes direct engagement with the bolt whereas the actuating lever is outside the bolt housing and lies along the inner surface of the frame plate 32. If desired, the bolt may comprise integral bolt and ratchet members as shown in the above-mentioned Priestman patent and the detent may then be mounted along the inner surface of the frame in the position of the actuating member. In such event the detent and actuating member may effectively be a single integral piece. The term bolt as used herein is to be construed broadly enough to cover the bolt and ratchet construction described above, as well as other equivalents.

The actuating lever 54 has an inwardly, generally horizontally extending arm 54a for actuation by the inside operating means in a manner later to be described, and a downwardly extending arm 54]) which, adjacent its lower end, pivotally mounts an intermittent link designated generally as 56. As shown in FIGURE 3, the point 58 of pivotal mounting of the intermittent link is spaced a predetermined distance from the pivotal axis of the detent (the shaft 52), whereby the point 58 describes afirst arc of predetermined radius on the circle A when the detent is swung. The intermittent link 56 is formed as a bell crank having an upwardly extending arm 56a formed with an undogging nose 56b (later to be described) and a second arm 560 formed at its end with a right angular pick-up flange 56d.

An operating lever designated generally as 6%) is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on the frame at 62. The operating lever has an upwardly extending arm 69a terminating in a right angular flange 69!; adapted to be engaged by the push button rod, as shown in FIGURE 2. Adjacent to and formed concentric with the axis of pivotal mounting of the lever 6%), there is a keyless locking flange 69c bent at right angles from the body of the operating lever 66 for a purpose later to be described, and a downwardly extending .arrn 6th! of the lever has formed at its lower extremity a bent pick-up flange see. As seen in FIGURE 3, the pick-up flange 60a is spaced from the axis 62 of pivotal mounting of the operating lever by a predetermined distance which, preferably (and in the embodiment illustrated), is the same as the distance between the detent axis 52 and the intermittent link axis 58, whereby the piclr up flange due of the operating lever describes a second arc of said predeterminedradius on the circle B when the operating lever 64} is swung. Also, as appears in FIGURE 3, the pick-up flange 56d of the intermittent link 56 lies along the arc of circle B on a line C which is tangential to both first and second arcs.

An undogging lever designated generally as 64 is pivotally mounted on the frame plate 32 at 66. As shown in FIGURE 3, this lever lies closely adjacent the keyless locking flange 600 of the operating lever, and the lever 64 terminates at its free end in an undogging flange 64a. A spring 68 is coiled about the mounting stud as and has one end anchored on the frame plate 32 and the other end anchored on a tab ddb on the undogging lever so that it biases the undogging lever in a clockwise direction in FIGURE 3 and, through engagement of the undogging lever With the undogging flange dflc of the operating lever, also urges the operating lever counterclockwise to the position shown in FIGURE 3.

A locking lever, designated generally as 70, is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on the frame plate 32 by a rivet 72. The locking lever extends generally horizontally across the frame and at its inside end has an inside locking arm 7%. At its outside end the lever is formed with an outside locking flange 70b for engagement with the eccentric actuator 24a of the key cylinder device, as shown in FlGURE 2. An arcuate slot 7&0 is formed in the lever 79 and a pin M- which projects from the intermittent lever 56 extends through the slot. As the intermittent lever moves bodily when the detent is swung, the pin '74 merely rides in the slot '7tlc. However, when the locking lever ill is turned about its pivot 72, the pin and slot connection causes the intermittent lever to pivot about its axis 58 from the unlocked position of FIGURE 3 counterclockwise to a locked position.

As shown best in FIGURE 4, the flange 36 of the latch frame pivotally mounts a remote bell crank lever 3t? having a downwardly depending arm connected to the remote rod 22 and a generally horizontaly extending arm which overlies the inside operating arm 54a of the intermittent link. A locking control lever 82 is pivotally mounted at 84 on the frame flange 36. One arm of the lever 32 is connected to the garnish molding rod 2% and the other arm is bifurcated to provide a notch into which the inside locking arms 'itla of the lever 76 extends. An overcenter spring 36 yieldably holds the parts in locked or in unlocked position.

The latch operates in the following manner: With the parts in the position shown in FiGU-RES 2 and 3, the detent foot 43 holds the bolt against rotation in a door opening direction. When it is desired to open the door from the outside, the push button 18 is depressed, causing the operating lever 6-9 to swing in clockwise direction as the parts appear in FIGURE 3 so that the pick-up flange title moves clockwise through an are on the circle B and picks up the pick-up flange sea on the intermittent link. As seen in FIGURE 3, the pick-up flange 56d lies along the arc B on line C which is tangential to the first are A and also to the second are B so that the pick-up flange End is in the path of swinging movement of the pick-up flange one of the operating lever. By virtue of the particular geometric arrangement described, the force acting on the intermittent link is in a direction radial of the pivot 53 of the intermittent link but essentially tangential to the arc described by the pivot 58 upon swinging movement of the detent, i.e., tangential to an are centered at the detent pivot 52 and having a radius equal to the distance between the detent pivot 52 and the intermittent link pivot 58. Consequently, this force will not cause the intermittent link to swing about its own pivot 58 but instead will cause the intermittent link to pivot the detent 46 and actuating member 54 through an are about the detent pivot 52. The detent foot 48 is swung out of engagement with the bolt so that the bolt is freely rotatable and the door can be pulled open.

In order to open the door from the inside, the turn handle 24) is operated, pulling on the rod 22 which swings the remote bell crank lever 345 so that its operating arm picks up the arm 54a of the actuating lever to move the detent foot 48 out of engagement with the bolt. When the door is locked either by depressing the garnish. molding button 26 or by turning a proper key in the key cylinder 2d, the locking lever 7t) is swung in a counterclockwise direction (FIGURE 3) so that the slot '7tlc moves downwardly. This downward movement swings the intermittent link about the pivot 58 from the unlocked position of FIGURE 3 to a locked position wherein the pickup flange 56d of the intermittent link has moved off the tangential line C and out of the path of swinging movement of the pick-up flange title of the operating lever. Now, as the operating lever is swung, it merely free wheels and does not pick up the intermediate link.

The improved latch includes the features of automatic undogging and keyless locking. Automatic undogging is an automatic unlocking arrangement which insures that the door cannot be inadvertently locked by depressing the garnish molding button 2s while the door is open and then closing the door. When the intermittent link is in locked position, the undogging nose 56b thereof has been swung counterclockwise fromthe position shown in FIG- URE 3 to a position closely adjacent the undogging flange 64a of the undogging lever 64. When the door is closed, the bolt 4% turns as it rides over the striker teeth, camming the detent over the back side of one or more bolt teeth and causing clockwise rotation (FIGURE 3) of the actuating lever 54 about the detent axis 52. This swinging movement of the actuating lever carries the intermit- .tent link bodily to the left along an arc of circle A in FIGURE 3 so that the undogging nose 56b abuts the undogging flange 64a, causing the intermittent link to swing back to unlocked position. If the operator desires to lock the door without using a key, he depresses the garnish molding button while the door is open to move the latch parts to locked position and then, while the door is being closed, he depresses the push button 18 to swing the operating lever. The flange title of the operating lever picks up the undogging lever 64 and swings it up so that the undogging flange 64a thereof isout of the path of movement of the undogging nose 5650f the intermittent link.

While we have shown and described certain embodiments of our invention, it is capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

in the claims:

1. A vehicle door latch of the character described, including: a latch frame; a toothed bolt pivotally mounted on said frame; a detent pivotally mounted on said frame and having a foot adapted to engage a tooth of said bolt to hold the bolt againstpivotal movement in one direction; an actuating member mounted rigidly with said detent for swinging movement as a unit therewith; an in ermittent link pivotally mounted on said actuating member at a point spaced from the pivotal axis of said detent, said intermittent link having a pick-up portion; an operating lever pivotally mounted on said frame and having a pick-up portion adapted to engage the pick-up portion of the intermittent link when the operating lever is swung to move the detent out of holding engagement with said bolt; locking means for swinging the intermittent link about its axis of pivotal mounting from unlocked position to a locked position wherein the pick-up portion of the intermittent link lies out of the path of movement of the pick-up portion of said operating lever; and an undogging lever mounted on said frame and having an undogging tab adapted to engage said intermittent link upon movement of the detent when the intermittent link is in locked position to swing the intermittent link to unlocked position.

2. A vehicle door latch of the character described, including: a latch frame; a toothed bolt rotatably mounted on said frame; a detent pivotally mounted on said frame and having a foot adapted to engage a tooth of said bolt to hold the bolt against rotation in one direction; an actuating lever mounted rigidly with said detent for swinging movement as a unit therewith; an intermittent link pivotally mounted on said actuating lever at a point spaced from the pivotal axis of said detent, said intermittent link having a pick-up portion; an operating lever pivotally mounted on said frame and having a pick-up portion adapted to engage the pick-up portion of the intermittent link when the operating lever is swung to move the detent out of holding engagement with said bolt; locking means for swinging the intermittent link about its axis of pivotal mounting from unlocked position to a locked position wherein the pick-up portion of the intermittent link lies out of the path of movement of the pick-up portion of said operating lever; and an undogging lever pivotally mounted on said frame and having an undogging tab adapted to engage said intermittent link upon movement of the detent when the intermittent link is in locked position to swing the intermittent link to unlocked position, said undogging lever being located adjacent said operating lever so that it is swung to an out of the way position upon movement of the operating lever.

3. A vehicle dOOr latch of the character described, including: a latch frame; a toothed bolt pivotally mounted on said frame; a detent pivotally mounted on said frame and having a foot adapted to engage a tooth of said bolt to hold the bolt against pivotal movement in one direction; an actuating member mounted rigidly with said detent for swinging movement as a unit therewith; an intermittent link pivotally mounted on said actuating member at a point spaced a predetermined distance from the pivotal axis of said detent, whereby said point describes a first arc of predetermined radius when the detent is swung, said intermittent link having a pick-up portion; an operating lever pivotally mounted on said frame and having a pick-up portion spaced from its axis of pivotal mounting by said predetermined distance, whereby the pick-up portion or" said operating lever describes a second arc of said predetermined radius when the operating lever is swung, the pick-up portion of said intermittent link normally lying along said second arc on a line which is tangential to said first and second arcs and in the path of swinging movement of the pick-up portion of said operating lever; a locking lever pivotally mounted on said frame and connected to said intermittent link for swinging said intermittent link about its pivotal axis from unlocked position to a locked position wherein the pick-up portion of the intermittent link moves off said line and out of the path of swinging movement of the pick-up portion of said operating lever; and an undogging lever pivotally mounted on said frame and having an undogging tab adapted to engage said intermittent link upon movement of the detent when the intermittent link is in locked position to swing the intermittent link to unlocked position, said undogging lever 6 being located adjacent said operating lever so that it is swung to an out of the way position upon movement of the operating lever.

4. A vehicle door latch of the character described, including a latch frame, a bolt movably mounted on said frame, a detent pivotally mounted on said frame and adapted to engage said bolt to hold the bolt against movement in one direction, an actuating member movable as a unit with said detent, an intermittent link pivotally mounted on said actuating member at a point spaced from the pivotal axis of said detent, said intermittent link having a pick-up portion, an operating lever movably mounted on said frame and having a pick-up portion adapted to engage the pick-up portion of the intermittent link when the operating lever is moved to move the detent out of holding engagement with said bolt, locking means for swinging the intermittent link about its axis of pivotal mounting from unlocked to locked position wherein the pick-up portion thereof lies out of the path of movement of the pick-up portion of said operating lever, and undogging means responsive to movement of said bolt in a direction opposite to said one direction for moving said intermittent link from locked to unlocked position.

5. A vehicle door latch of the character described, including, a latch frame, a bolt movably mounted on said frame, a detent pivotally mounted on said frame and adapted to engage said bolt to hold the bolt against pivotal movement in one direction, an actuating member movable as a unit with said detent, an intermittent link pivotally mounted on said actuating member at a point spaced from the pivotal axis of said detent, said intermittent link having a pick-up portion, an operating lever movably mounted on said frame and having a pick-up portion adapted to engage the pick-up portion of the intermittent link when the operating lever is moved to move the detent out of holding engagement with said bolt, locking means for pivoting the intermittent link from unlocked to a locked position wherein the pick-up portion thereof lies out of the path of movement of the pick-up portion of said operating lever, and movable undogging means responsive to movement of said bolt in a direction opposite to said one direction for engaging said intermit References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,987,907 Cockburn et a1. June 13, 1961 

4. A VEHICLE DOOR LATCH OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, INCLUDING A LATCH FRAME, A BOLT MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME, A DETENT PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID BOLT TO HOLD THE BOLT AGAINST MOVEMENT IN ONE DIRECTION, AN ACTUATING MEMBER MOVABLE AS A UNIT WITH SAID DETENT, AN INTERMITTENT LINK PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID ACTUATING MEMBER AT A POINT SPACED FROM THE PIVOTAL AXIS OF SAID DETENT, SAID INTERMITTENT LINK HAVING A PICK-UP PORTION, AN OPERATING LEVER MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME AND HAVING A PICK-UP PORTION ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE PICK-UP PORTION OF THE INTERMITTENT LINK WHEN THE OPERATING LEVER IS MOVED TO MOVE THE DETENT OUT OF HOLDING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID BOLT, LOCKING MEANS FOR SWINGING THE INTERMITTENT LINK ABOUT ITS AXIS OF PIVOTAL MOUNTING FROM UNLOCKED TO LOCKED POSITION WHEREIN THE PICK-UP PORTION THEREOF LIES OUT OF THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF THE PICK-UP PORTION OF SAID OPERATING LEVER, AND UNDOGGING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO MOVEMENT OF SAID BOLT IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO SAID ONE DIRECTION FOR MOVING SAID INTERMITTENT LINK FROM LOCKED TO UNLOCKED POSITION. 